On February 14, Valentine’s Day, Representatives Gosar (R-4th) and Kirkpatrick (D-1st) introduced the newest version of the Oak Flat land exchange. This new version, HR 687, is virtually identical to last year’s version of the land exchange (HR 1904). This is the 12 version of the land exchange that Rio Tinto has convinced Arizona members of Congress to introduce on their behalf, and is every bit as bad as HR 1904, which was the worst of the lot.

There are many reasons that this bill is a bad idea and should never have been reintroduced. Now that is has, we must stop this bill just like we have stopped the previous 11.

Please use the form below to contact your Representative and tell him or her to not support HR 687, the Oak Flat land exchange.

The HR 687 Oak Flat Land Exchange bill:

• Is the only bill that would turn over a Native American sacred site on public land to foreign mining companies and is opposed by every Indian Tribe in the United States.

• Would be the largest loss of public lands recreational climbing opportunities in history and is opposed by the Access Fund and other organizations that care about maintaining recreational opportunities on public land.

• Bypasses the normal process of permitting mines on public lands, avoids the NEPA process, and would destroy wildlife habitat and clean water resources.

• Benefits only two huge foreign mining companies at the expense of Arizona’s clean water, recreation, and economy.

You must have missed this meeting. No one person spoke on behalf of the company and no spokesman said anything about laying anyone off, just more misinformation from the anti miners. A majority of the actual residents spoke for the mine, and a majority of the visitors from Tucson, Phoenix, and elsewhere spoke against. Of course mining isn't the only solution to Superior's problems. For the youth of Superior who don't want to become waiters at a local restaurant, I guess the current economic plan for them is to get a car and go start applying for work in Florence. What has climbing done for town of Superior? I dare you to ask any kid in town what a hanger is, a nut tool, or when (or what) Tufa Fest is.

You could always tune into 105.3fm and listen to the town meetings on Sunday evenings, in case you missed your flight.

kirra wrote:

It's official -Superior does not want this Mine in their backyard. Perhaps they can now be open to other ideas for business revenue. Mining is only 1 solution -it's not the only one. Town of Superior passes formal Resolution opposing Oak Flat Land Exchange On March 13, 2013, the town council of Superior, Arizona passed a unanimous resolution opposing HR 687, the latest version of the Oak Flat land exchange. The resolution passed following a town council meeting a week ago in which the town council took comments on their decision to oppose the land exchange and end a Mutual Benefits Agreement with Rio Tinto. At that meeting, the majority of comments supported the town decision. Superior Town Council meeting During the council meeting Rio Tinto threatened to lay off it's workers if the town passed the resolution. This is similar to a threat Rio Tinto made last November to lay off most of their workers is the previous version of the land exchange, HR 1904, was not approved by Congress. There is no word yet whether Rio Tinto will follow through with their threat now that the resolution has been passed. Copy of Resolution No.451

The town of Superior may need that service here soon. From what I heard, the town couldn't pay their trash collection bill and was threatened by the waste company over it recently. Pretty telling about the condition of the town and the town council when we can't pay our bills, but they'll send people to DC to speak out against RCM.

Your Voice & your Vote are the most pricele$$ assets "We the people" have to give. Tell your Representatives & Senators this week how you feel about loosing Oak Flat forever because no 1 can tell your story 4U

Thanks for compiling this list, Kirra. Faxed my letters to several subcommittee members, including Mr. Lamborn, as well as another to Mr. McCain on the Senate side. Here's to hoping it has an impact -- it certainly is worth the small bit of effort.

Let's hear it for Raul Grijalva and the representative for the Superior Town Council who are speaking up for Oak Flat!

Absolutely! Terry Rambler was very concise and deliberate with his reasons for supporting the preservation of Oak Flat too.

One question on a topic that keeps coming up... If the copper ore pocket located beneath Oak Flat is truly worth extracting (obviously $billions$ to be made), why can't Resolution Copper (Rio Tinto / BHP) offer up NEPA / watershed / environmental impact studies a priori, before moving forward with any privatization of the protected land, as to simply gain the trust of all the stakeholders concerned with preserving the natural character to Oak Flat and its adjacent areas?

Grijalva actually answered your question at the hearing by saying that he feels that RC's plans would not survive the transparency and public input that NEPA would require. In other words, RC likely believes it has little chance of succeeding if it needs approval for its plans prior to a land exchange. There has to be merit to this statement, otherwise why has the company insisted on a non-NEPA process with so many consecutive failed bills?

Chairman Rambler was very impressive, and it was a great showing by Soyla Peralta from Superior too.

Ben, Grijalva actually answered your question at the hearing by saying that he feels that RC's plans would not survive the transparency and public input that NEPA would require. In other words, RC likely believes it has little chance of succeeding if it needs approval for its plans prior to a land exchange. There has to be merit to this statement, otherwise why has the company insisted on a non-NEPA process with so many consecutive failed bills? Chairman Rambler was very impressive, and it was a great showing by Soyla Peralta from Superior too.

The crux to RCM is the 760 acre withdrawn parcel called the Oak Flat campground. Documents released under a FOIA request made to the Forest Service show that the Forest Service has been repeatedly asked since the 1970's (by ASARCO and others) to consider lifting the 1955 withdrawal from mining and to allow mining appropriation of the Oak Flat area. Each and every time the Forest Service has been asked, they have replied that the Oak Flat area is still a heavily used area for camping and other recreational purposes--and thus the original withdrawal of the area for those purposes is still valid. RCM knows full well that another appeal made through the normal and proper process of mine approval (through the USFS) would similarly fail. They have therefore been attempting to bypass that process (and NEPA) via a legislative land exchange for the last 8 years.

ClimbandMine is correct here. In Block caving they gently coax out the underpinnings of the earth's surface leaving an undisturbed and paradise like surface. See images here: No brute force needed Can we send the 400 out of work miners to Rio Tinto's operation in Utah to deal with the 9000 acres of tailings that are totally improving the health and well being of the locals there?

You misquoted what I said, and you know it. That sort of behavior is exactly why Rio Tinto shouldn't give in to people like you. You accuse them of distortion then turn around and do it yourself.

BTW, I know where that mine is and it proves my point. The footprint of the mine is less than half the depth of Resolution, and the "crater" you see is less than half the diameter of the mine footprint underground.

Bingham has been in operation since 1906. Kennecott has been reclaiming tailings. There are over 100 years of tailings, most that were unregulated as they were put down prior to the laws and knowledge governing them. You want them to be able to teleport, too?

BTW, I know where that mine is and it proves my point. The footprint of the mine is less than half the depth of Resolution, and the "crater" you see is less than half the diameter of the mine footprint underground.

What you don't mention and what is quite pertinent, is how far along in the mining process is the mine in question? The surface expression in that photo may be just the beginning of subsidence.

On the other hand Resolution has published cross section and oblique views of their subsidence zone and it is substantial. A depth of 850 feet and over a mile long. This takes it well below the bottom of Devil's canyon - and another orebody adjacent which they own and don't mention in any of their press releases.

These are the sort of things (and there are plenty) that should be presented to the public before public land is given to a corporation.

Additionally, RCM and its elected proponents, such as Congressman Gosar, continue to view and treat critics only as "opposition". Black and white thinking - no nuance with this crew. They play with words and withhold information as a matter of course. No wonder they have been unsuccessful.

What you don't mention and what is quite pertinent, is how far along in the mining process is the mine in question? The surface expression in that photo may be just the beginning of subsidence. On the other hand Resolution has published cross section and oblique views of their subsidence zone and it is substantial. A depth of 850 feet and over a mile long. This takes it well below the bottom of Devil's canyon - and another orebody adjacent which they own and don't mention in any of their press releases. These are the sort of things (and there are plenty) that should be presented to the public before public land is given to a corporation. Additionally, RCM and its elected proponents, such as Congressman Gosar, continue to view and treat critics only as "opposition". Black and white thinking - no nuance with this crew. They play with words and withhold information as a matter of course. No wonder they have been unsuccessful.

I didn't say because I don't know for sure.

I do know the mine I worked at for 7 years was 40 years into its mine life and it broke vertical to surface from all its production areas.

ClimbandMine I am uncertain what you feel I distorted. You took exception when someone said that Block Caving was a brute force operation.I feel that your attempt to imply that this practice is gentle, natural, and not destructive was argumenative and a distortion of fact. The land left is unusable for current and future user groups. The depression I pictured in my post you say is small considering the volume of earth missing underneath.So in fact a much larger surface area is unusable than just the already depressed area? So we should not strive to correct the shortcomings of the past? No need to teleport, we can work on these issues now. Recovery of tailings seem like a job that out of work miners would be well suited to.

ClimbandMine I am uncertain what you feel I distorted. You took exception when someone said that Block Caving was a brute force operation.I feel that your attempt to imply that this practice is gentle, natural, and not destructive was argumenative and a distortion of fact. The land left is unusable for current and future user groups. The depression I pictured in my post you say is small considering the volume of earth missing underneath.So in fact a much larger surface area is unusable than just the already depressed area? So we should not strive to correct the shortcomings of the past? No need to teleport, we can work on these issues now. Recovery of tailings seem like a job that out of work miners would be well suited to.

Gee, you wonder why I feel distorted?

Nowhere did I say that block caving was gentle (you obviously haven't stood next to a running drawpoint or active cave face) or destructive. I said natural forces (gravity / geology) were used. Open pit and other underground methods could be characterized as brute force. Block caving utilizes the fewest pounds of explosives per ton of ore extracted - I would characterize explosives per ton as a good metric of brute force, et tu?

I also didn't say the pictured depression is small relative to volume, I said it was smaller than the diameter of the extraction level (implying what the cave angle was).

And I mentioned that tailings at Kennecott were being worked on now, as far as I know. Tailings recovery and reprocessing is a separate issue that you didn't mention before and I don't know enough about that particular facility to comment on it.

"Kirkpatrick said her district was “hit hard by the recession” and could use an influx of jobs and tax revenue. But she said environmental impacts of mining will need to be addressed before the bill can go through. She is considering amendments to protect land and water in the area."

While Gosar on the other hand...:

"Gosar said there is no reason for delay and that opponents simply do not understand the facts. “This is a good bill all the way through,” Gosar said. “I’m not here to compromise a bill just to get people to get on board.” Gosar said he would be open to compromise, he said he has not seen any efforts by oppponents to alter their stance. “We’re grasping at straws, basing not on facts but on hearsay,” he said."